Apparatus for the absorption of moisture and gases.



P. POETSCHKE.

APPARATUS FOR THE ABSORPTION 0F MOISTURE AND GASES. APPLICATION FILEDMAR. I. I917.

Patented May 28,1918.

PAUL POETSCHKE, 0F MILFORD, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR T0 PALO COMPANY, OF NEWYORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK. I

APPARATUS FOR THE ABSORPTION OF MOISTURE AND GASES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2?, lull Application fi led March 1, 1917. Serial No.151,849.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL POETSOHKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milford, in the county of Sussex and State of Delaware, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for theAbsorption of Moisture and Gases; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention relates to apparatus adapted to be mounted within closedcompartments, and especially appertains to a: device which is portable,compact, and composed of cells or chambers for receiving various mediawhereby gases and moisture may be collected from the air within theclosed compartment.

The invention particularly relates to means which may be utilized toabsorb moisture and gases that may be present jointly or severally, forinstance, in balance cases, static machine cases, scientific andsurgical instrument cases, safes, vaults, museum cases, show cases,clock cases, show windows, and other such compartments in which theremay be reserved or stored instruments or articles subject to bedeteriorated by moisture .or deleterious gases. It is well known thatmoisture and certain gases effect the tarnishing and corrosion ofcertain delicate machines of precision, and that static machines arerendered inoperative and inactive because of the humidity of the case inwhich the machine may be contained, also that tarnishing and corrosionof scientific instruments will occur unless the moisture normally orotherwise present in the atmosphere is removed from the compartment inwhich these instruments are stored, also that papers stored in vaults orsafes become damp and musty and frequently produce mold as a result ofmoisture, and that moisture in show windows or show cases will oftencondense upon the glass and even deposit as frost in the presence oflower temperature.

Therefore it is one of the important objects of my present inventionto'provide for the absorption of moisture and deleterious or harmfulgases which are present in the .air within a chamber and which areconducive to the above named serious injury of the a suitablyconstructed device involving a basket or container which may be providedwith a plurality of independent cells each for containlng a suitable orgiven medium or agent designed to be effective either for the a removalof moisture or for the absorption of various gases, it being understoodthat the nature of these agents and media may and will be determined bythe nature of the gas which-may be present in the compartment in whichthe object to be rotected or concealed or covered is dispose With thatend in view there is described in ,the following specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawing one embodiment of the invention,in which drawing:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the assembled device and asdisposed within a compartment a portion of which is showndiagrammatically.

Fig. 2 is a-perspective view of the container or basket for receivingthe agents conducive to the absorption of the objectionable moisture andgases, and showing one of its shelves detached.

Fig. 3is a perspective view showing the receiver for the condensedmoisture or solutions as discharged from the superposed container.

In its illustrated and simple form herein shown the device comprises abase or supporting member of suitable shape, design, proportion andmaterial, and, as shown, is in the form of a semi-cylindrical trough 2haying legs 3 whereby it is elevated, and withln the walls of the troughor receiver 2 there are provided suitable shoulders, shelves, orbrackets as 4, upon which there may be rested the superimposed containerwhich is adapted to receive the various agents or media which may beutilized to efiect the desired result of condensing the mo1stur'e andases within the compartment as l) in whic the device may be installed.

The container for the absorptive agents is herein illustrated ascomposed of a rectangular box or basket-like element 5 of suitable bedeposited upon the supporting trough 2 to rest on suitable supportingmeans as be either punched sheet metal or woven wire as may be desired,the apertures or perforations .of which are sufiiciently small toprevent the outflow of the material which may be contained within thecontainer, and yet provide for the free and spontaneous circulation ofthe air through the walls of the container into the interior. In theform here shown the container 5 consists of a box-like element ofrectangular form adapted to be supported upon the trough 2 and withinthe container there are provided suitable supporting means as bracketsor lugs 6 arranged at suitable elevations and positions in superposedrelation so as to support removable vshelves indicated at 7 in Fig. 2,these preferably being of perforated or foraminous material and whenarranged upon the respective brackets 66 in a horizontal plane acrossthe container 5 from several independent cells or chambers in whichVarious agents or media to effect the desired result may be disposed.

For instance, in the lowermost chamber indicated at Abeneath the bottomshelf and above the foraminous or perforated bottom of the container 5,there is disposed any suitable dehydrating agent', as for instance,

granulated calcium chlorid, and in the next chamber above and indicatedat B. Fig. 1, there may be provided a charge which has the function ofabsorbing acid gases, such for instance as an alkaline substance asgranulated quick lime, and when there are more chambers provided, as,for instance, in the uppermost chamber C, there'may be provided an agentor medium for absorbing other given or definite gases such, forinstance, as removing hydrogen sulfid, in which case cotton or otherabsorbent material may be charged with a solution of lead acetate. Fromthe above it will be seen that with the present device providedpreferably with a container whose walls are substantially whollyperforate and which has a perforate bottom and top, the latter beingindicated at 8, and when the various chambers of the container 5 aresuitably charged, that with the device installed in a compartment thevarious active agents within the container will spontaneously act toabsorb the moisture and gases from within the container and therebyprotect objects against tarnishing or corrosion or becoming inopera tiveor inactive by the presence .of deleterious gases.

It is an important feature of the present invention that the device isso constructed and designed that it may be readily arranged within thecompartment in which devices are to be protected, and further that theair will be permitted to freely circulate about and into and through thedevice with a spontaneous action, and further that the various media maybe renewed or changed as the occasion may require by the simple removalof the chamber 5 from its supporting trough or receiver 2 and by theremoval of the top 8 to expose the interior of the container to permitthe removal of the detachable or removable shelves 7. After the devicehas been in use for a period, any moisture which may be collected in thereceiver 2 can be readily discharged therefrom by the simple removal ofthe superposed container 5 therefrom and the trough may then be readilyemptied to discharge the collected solution.

What I claim is:

1. A device for the spontaneous treatment of air, comprising a troughhaving rests or seats, a box with walls perforated by small aperturesand bottom adapted to nest in the top of said trough at the seats, aseries of finely perforated shelves insertible in said box to formseparate compartments into and out of which air may pass through saidwalls and bottom, and a perforate closure for the top of the box.

2. A device for the spontaneous treatment of air, comprising, incombination, a moisture receiving trough having an open top, a box forreceiving differentreagents, and having its walls," top and bottomperforated with fine apertures, said box nesting in the top of thetrough, and detached shelves spaced one above the other in said box forsubdividing the chamber to hold separately the different reagents.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL POETSCHKE; Witnesses:

CORNELIA A. BENNETT,

W. G. SAMMoNs.

